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In the world of rare diseases it has been said that, “a disease isn’t rare, it’s just rarely diagnosed.” And there’s the rub with properly managing patients with rare diseases.
In recent years, the number of FDA approvals for therapies to treat rare disorders has steadily increased; nearly half of all novel drugs approved in 2015 are indicated for a rare disease. Yet, while 1 in 10 Americans are afflicted with a rare condition, it often takes several years for a patient with a rare disease to receive a proper diagnosis.

The 2016 Medical Marketing & Media (MM&M) Healthcare Marketers Trend Report produced two findings that, given the current state of the industry, are not all that surprising, but they are nevertheless intriguing. Payer/Managed Care Pressure was cited as the top challenge to healthcare marketers by the 181 director-level-and-above executives of pharma, biotech, device and diagnostics companies who were surveyed. On the other hand, Big Data topped the list of opportunities perceived by the executives of medium to large companies.

The relationship between pharma companies and health care providers continues to be under scrutiny. The Physician Payments Sunshine Act in the U.S. and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) code on transfers of value require biopharmaceutical companies to publicly report payments to health care providers. These laws are intended to increase the transparency of relationships and disclose potential conflicts of interest.